Knife Fight: 8 Chef's Knives Tested and Rated

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Knife Fight: 8 Chef's Knives Tested and Rated

The chef's knife is the indispensable multi-tool of the kitchen. It slices, it dices. It minces, juliennes and de-bones. But it also goes well beyond its intended uses. Need to open a bag of spinach? Break the seal on your sous vide salmon? Pop the cap off a beer? You're covered.
We tested eight knives over three weeks, selecting the most popular models and pinging chef friends for their personal recommendations. We stuck mostly with 8-inch blades, the sweet spot for the classic chef's knife. Testing involved the stuff you'd do in your own kitchen -- peeling, filleting, dicing, chopping, cubing, slicing and all the other standard prep work for meats and vegetables. Like all great designs, the chef's knife is simple, and its wide-ranging utility might account for its basic shape remaining relatively unchanged over the years. There have been small innovations: new metals, better handle design, some blades roll a bit more, some are thicker, others thinner. But the standard prevails: a slim, 8-inch triangular blade with a curved cutting edge and a heel tall enough to pinch tightly.
There's no best knife for everyone. The size of your hands, how you hold the knife, and what you tend to do most in the kitchen determine things like which handle type is preferable, and what weight you'll need. The less-obvious traits, like upkeep requirements and how well the knife holds an edge over time, set the great knives apart from the mediocre, and should be considered by every buyer.

Korin Suisin High Carbon Steel Gyutou

Let's begin with the best: the Korin Gyutou ($100), a high-carbon steel Japanese-style chef's knife.
This is the Bugatti Veyron of knives. It feels like an extension of the hand, something that sprang out of your skin à la Wolverine, slicing through a half-frozen, inch-thick round steak like it's a kappa maki. The carbon steel blade makes precision cutting feel so natural, you want to make every slice an absolutely perfect slice. The Korin commands respect -- it not only cries out for your best knife skills, but it shames you into stepping up your game. A few minutes with this knife, and you'll feel like you need to go practice your fundamentals.
First recommended to me by my old chef Hugh Acheson (who prefers the 6-inch Petty model), the worst thing I can say about the Korin is that it's a fiddly thing to care for. My review knife actually arrived with its own rider, requesting that I kindly wipe it down with an oil rag (provided) after thoroughly washing it with soap and water. Oh, and no green M&Ms, please.
That's par for the course with carbon steel blades, which are generally sharper, more precise knives, but -- there's always a trade-off -- require much more upkeep than their stainless steel cousins.
The rest of the knives here won't blink an eye at acidic foods like tomatoes, and they won't protest being left to sit in water. But the Korin will discolor -- and even corrode and pit -- if not properly cared for. That said, if Top Chef contestants like Acheson can wipe down their knives while whipping up complex meals on a deadline, you can too. The only question is, do you want to bother?
WIRED By far the sharpest and best knife of the bunch. The Korin makes everything in the kitchen look like something that needs to be finely minced right away.
TIRED The awesomeness comes with a catch: If you don't care for it properly, the gleaming edge will tarnish and wither with every sliced tomato.
Rating: 9 out of 10

Richmond Addict 2

If you've got man hands, the Richmond Addict ($170) is the knife for you.
It's the biggest knife of the bunch, but at 6 ounces, it's also one of the lightest I tested. Couple that low weight with a very high 55-millimeter heel that ensures big knuckles are never mashed on the cutting board while gripping the handle, and you have the ideal knife for big hands.
The Richmond's blade was satisfyingly sharp out of the box and held an edge well through three weeks of testing. It's also on the thin side (2.25 mm), so it has a nice bite to it as you come down on vegetables and herbs. Of course, that thinner blade means it's not quite as well suited to disjointing a chicken.
The rosewood handle looks great, but turns slick at the first hint of oil on your hands. And the octagonal shape makes for a comfortable grip, but the gap between the end of the handle and the start of the blade is nearly an inch, so if you choke up on the knife, you'll be gripping a good inch of angular metal -- hardly comfortable after a few hours.
WIRED Big blade and high handle make it ideal for anyone with big hands. Holds an edge well.
TIRED The gap between the handle and the actual blade is long, and you'll be grabbing a fist-full of uncomfortable metal if you like to keep your forefinger on the blade.
Rating: 8 out of 10

Miyabi Artisan SG2

The Miyabi series of knives from Zwilling J.A. Henckels is an attempt to hybridize Japanese design and blade types with western-style utility. There are dozens of knives under the Miyabi brand; I tested the Artisan SG2 ($140), a stainless steel chef's knife that's hammered and honed to look like a katana sword.
The Miyabi knives are aimed at cooks who want the fine edge, thin profile and precision feel of the Korin, but without the fuss of a carbon steel blade. The resulting knife is quite nice in its own right, though it doesn't outperform the Korin.
At least the Miyabi is a looker, with Damascus-style markings, a handsome rosewood handle, brass spacers, and other decorative elements. It has a light, delicate feel to it, and the frilly looks make it seem a little dainty. But my test knife arrived with a ridiculously sharp edge, and it had absolutely no problem splitting apart a chicken for Sunday grilling. Also, the textured surface closer to the spine kept any and all food from sticking. One quibble: The long, slightly bulbous rosewood pakkawood handle is comfortable, but, like some others, gets slick when wet or oily.
WIRED A nice compromise knife: Most -- though not all -- of the good parts of a carbon steel blade without the tedious upkeep requirements. Good weight at 11 ounces. Micro-carbide steel SG2 core is exceptionally hard and stays sharp.
TIRED Pricey. The handle is comfy, but gets slippery when wet. The fancily textured, hammered steel blade isn't for everyone.
Rating: 7 out of 10

Ginzu Hanaita 8-inch Damascus

"How much would you pay for a knife like this? Wait, before you answer..."
The famous karate-chopping, can-slicing Ginzu will be familiar to anyone who grew up watching television in the late 1970s. Though the name still brings to mind those cheap novelty knives, today's Ginzu is a serious cutlery company. There were no claims that the Hanaita 8-inch Damascus knife ($100) could cut cans, but it did arrive razor sharp and held its edge well over the course of testing.
The Ginzu is heavy at 13.6 ounces, but reasonably well-balanced. The blade -- forged from 33 layers of steel -- is slightly heavier than the handle, but not enough to really notice in everyday use. The extra weight means that the Hanaita is a bit better at deboning than fine mincing. The blade is also wider than most, making it more difficult to get through larger, denser foods -- like slicing sweet potatoes into fries.
The handle is the only one in our roundup with a rubberized grip, and it retains its grippiness even when your hands get wet or greasy.
WIRED Solid performer with a very comfortable rubber handle. Strong carbon steel blade is sharp, and stays that way.
TIRED On the heavy side. Thick blade isn't great for long, deep cuts.
Rating: 6 out of 10

Wüsthof Grand Prix II

The Grand Prix II ($100) is exemplary of classic German knife design -- a long, continuously tapered blade that has less rocking action than the more sharply curved French-style knives like the Zwilling Pro or the Global G-2. The Grand Prix II isn't a delicate piece of cutlery like the Korin or Miyabi, but it makes a nice companion to both, since it's better-suited to deboning and other heavy-duty kitchen work that sends finer knives scurrying for cover.
The Wüsthof's plastic handle is very light, make it one the least-balanced knives I tested. The knife's 9.8 ounces is very blade-forward, but not so much so that it was difficult to use.
In fact, the Grand Prix II is a pleasure to use and would have been a favorite were it not for one small quirk that kept biting me: The bolster, where the knife ends the handle begins, is sharpened. Despite being nearly a quarter-inch wide, the tapered end is sharp -- not as sharp as the actual blade, but sharp enough to leave paper-cut-like wounds on my finger tips. Repeatedly. It could just be the way I work with a knife, but it's something to watch out for when you try it out for yourself in a store.
WIRED Weighty, longer blade tackles heavy-duty kitchen tasks other knives might balk (or chip) at. A good knife for $100.
TIRED Sharp butt on the blade is annoying. Not well balanced.
Rating: 6 out of 10

Messermeister San Moritz Elite

The San Moritz Elite ($165) is the Platonic ideal of a chef's knife. The well-balanced, gently curved blade and comfortable handle look and feel like what you see in your head when someone says "chef's knife."
Unfortunately the San Moritz Elite doesn't entirely live up to the high expectations. My tester knife arrived less than razor sharp, and it lost what little edge it had quite quickly. The San Moritz recovered after some time on the stone, but if you're not planning to sharpen your knife regularly, it may not be the best choice.
That said, the San Moritz was the most comfortable knife in the test. The 13.6-ounce weight is just about perfectly balanced. By the end of the three weeks, I found myself reaching for it almost as much as the Korin (especially for jobs that might have violated the Korin's rider).
WIRED Very comfortable. If you were stuck dicing potatoes for a battleship full of hungry sailors, this is the knife you'd want.
TIRED Arrived less sharp than other knives, and will require more long-term maintenance.
Rating: 6 out of 10

Global G-2

The Global G-2 ($118) is one of the most popular chef's knives in the world. Poke your head in your foodie friends' kitchens and there's a good chance you'll see the distinctive all-metal G-2 affixed to the magnet on the wall.
Its popularity has always been something of a mystery to me. The blade is light (5.5 ounces), perfectly balanced, and very easy to manage, but the steel handle is thin, uncomfortable and turns into a greased pig if you even look at an olive oil bottle. That said, plenty of people rave about the G-2's unique handle in online reviews. My advice is head to your local kitchen shop and try it for yourself.
In my testing, the G-2 was plenty sharp out of the box and held its edge for a while. But by the end of two weeks of daily use, I ended up pulling out the stone to bring the edge back. It's a perfectly capable tool, but when judged against the more high-performance specimens here, the G-2 came across like the Mazda Miata of knives: lightweight and fun, but lacking a certain solidity.
WIRED Reasonably priced. Lightweight and easy to handle, especially for smaller hands.
TIRED The ergonomic handle is not ergonomic for everyone. Worse, it becomes slick at the slightest hint of moisture. Strength of the blade is questionable.
Rating: 5 out of 10

Zwilling J.A. Henckels Pro-S

The Zwilling Pro-S (about $130) is a perfectly fine, if ho-hum, chef's knife. It's the most classically French-style knife I tested, with a sharply sweeping curved blade. The strong curve allows for a nice rocking motion that makes mincing a breeze.
Unfortunately, it arrived less sharp than other knives, though it did manage to hold its not-too-sharp edge pretty well. The handle is the classic wooden-metal hybrid that's comfortable, but prone to slipperiness. On the plus side, the Zwilling Pro has a very nice 45-degree taper at the bolster that makes it extra comfortable for those who like to use a pinch grip.
Were Zwilling to drop the price about $50, I'd have no problem recommending this knife. It's a fine knife for the $50 to $80 price range, but unfortunately, it usually sells for over $100. If you can find it on discount, it's a good buy.
WIRED A perfect rocking motion on the cutting board. No-frills design is comfortable.
TIRED Overpriced. Uninspired.
Rating: 5 out of 10